Friday, December 23, 2016

Best of 1986- Top 50 Singles

In early 1985, the Pet Shop Boys stormed the UK charts with "West End Girls" which would also remain their signature tune and biggest hit. Together with Erasure, they were transforming the synth pop into electro dance giving it a new face. The Communards certainly contributed to this trend as their cover of the disco classic “Don’t Leave Me This Way” was the best selling single of the year. Madonna and George Michael were still among the best selling artists further developing the pop genre and Madonna’s third studio album True Blue was the best selling in the UK.

 The following Top 50 represents the result of the 'Best of 1986 - The Singles list' from 2016 together with our in-house votes


01. The Smiths- There is a Light that Never goes out
02. New Order- Bizarre Love Triangle
03. Desireless- Voyage Voyage
04. Depeche Mode - Stripped
05. The Smiths- Bigmouth Strikes Again
06. The Stranglers- Always The Sun
07. Big Audio Dynmaite- E=MC2
08. a-ha- Hunting High and Low
09. Cyndi Lauper- True Colours
10. David Bowie - Absolute Beginners
11. Madonna - Live to Tell
12. Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush - Don't Give Up
13. Black- Wonderful Life
14. Iggy Pop - Real Wild Child
15. The Bangles - Walk Like an Egyptian
16. Genesis - Land of Confusion
17. R.E.M. - Fall on Me
18. Kim Wilde- You Keep Me Hangin' On
19. The Pretenders- Don't Get Me Wrong
20. Talk Talk - Living in Another World

21. Pet Shop Boys- Suburbia
22. Queen- Who Wants to Live Forever
23. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
24. The Dream Academy- Love Parade
25. Level 42- Lessons of Love
26. Frankie Goes To Hollywood- Warriors of the Wasteland
27. Berlin- Take My Breath Away
28. Erasure- Sometimes
29. Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
30. Alphaville- Dance with Me
31. The Smiths- Panic
32. Eurythmics  - Thorn in My Side
33. Siouxsie And The Banshees - Candyman 
34. The Communards- Don't Leave Me This Way
35. Talking Heads- Wild Wild Life 
36. The Chameleons- Swamp Thing
37. Eurythmics- The Miracle of Love
38. Depeche Mode- A Question of Time
39. The Communards- So Cold The Night
40. Nu Shooz- I Can't Wait
41. The Bangles - Manic Monday
42. Simply Red - Holding back the Years
43. Depeche Mode- A Question of Lust 
44. Les Rita Mitsouko- C'est comme ça
45. The Housemartins - Caravan of Love
46. George Michael - A Different Corner
47. Marc Almond- Ruby Red
48. It's Immaterial - Driving Away from Home (Jim's Tune)
49. a-ha- I've Been Losing You
50. Numan & Sharpe- New Thing from London Town

22 comments:

Keb'n said...

In alpha order:
1. Bangles- Walk Like An Egyptian
2. Belinda Carlisle- Mad About You
3. Big Audio Dynamite- E=MC²
4. Black- Wonderful Life
5. Cyndi Lauper - True Colors
6. Depeche Mode- A Question of Lust
7. Erasure- Sometimes
8. Hipsway- The Honeythief
9. Nu Shooz- I Can't Wait
10. OMD- If You Leave
11. Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush- Don’t Give Up
12. Swing Out Sister- Breakout

MrOktober said...

a-ha- I’ve Been Losing You
ABC- How to be a Zilionaire
Big Audio Dynamite- E=MC²
Depeche Mode- A Question of Lust
Duran Duran- Notorious
Erasure- Sometimes
George Michael - A Different Corner
New Order- Bizzare Love Triangle
OMD- (Forever) Live and Die
Pet Shop Boys- Love Comes Quickly

Bori B. said...

1. The Smiths- There is a Light That Never Goes Out
2. The Communards- So Cold The Night
3. Desireless- Voyage Voyage
4. DAF- Brothers
5. Alphaville- Dance with Me
6. Kate Bush & Peter Gabriel- Don't Give Up
7. Dream Academy- The Love Parade
8. The Chameleons- Tears
9. Kim Wilde- You Keep Me Hangin' on
10. Pet Shop Boys- Suburbia

Unknown said...

1. Kate Bush- Hounds of Love
2. Talking Heads- Wild Wild Life
3. Smiths, The – Bigmouth Strikes Again
4. Smiths, The- There is a Light That Never Goes Out
5. Pretenders- Don't Get Me Wrong
6. New Order- Bizarre Love Triangle
7. Iggy Pop- Cry for Love
8. David Bowie- Absolute Beginners
9. Desireless- Voyage Voyage
10. Black- Wonderful Life

Jason R. Tippitt said...

1. a-ha- Hunting High and Low
2. Brigitte Bardot & Serge Gainsbourg- Je t'aime moi non plus
3. David Bowie- Absolute Beginners
4. Iggy Pop- Real Wild Child (Wild One)
5. Jennifer Warnes- First We Take Manhattan
6. New Order- Bizarre Love Triangle
7. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- The Singer
8. Queen- Who Wants to Live Forever
9. The Smiths- There is a Light That Never Goes Out
10. Talking Heads- Wild Wild Life

Laurel said...

1. a-ha ~ Hunting High and Low
2. The Call ~ Everywhere I Go
3. Cyndi Lauper ~ True Colors
4. David Bowie ~ Absolute Beginners
5. Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush ~ Don't Give Up
6. Peter Gabriel ~ In Your Eyes
7. OMD ~ (Forever) Live and Die
8. Nu Shooz ~ I Can't Wait
9. New Order ~ Bizarre Love Triangle
10. Erasure - oh l'Amour

the producers said...

1. Chameleons, The- Swamp Thing
2. Smiths, The- There is a Light That Never Goes Out
3. Cocteau Twins- Love's Easy Tears
4. Depeche Mode- Stripped
5.Nu Shooz- I Can't Wait
6. Clan of Xymox- Muscoviet Musquito
7.New Order- Bizzare Love Triangle
8.Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- The Singer
9.Nitzer Ebb- Murderous
10.Sonic Youth- Starpower

Mozfather said...

1. Smiths, The- There is a Light That Never Goes Out
2. Smiths, The- Panic
3. Smiths, The – Bigmouth Strikes Again
4. Smiths, The- Some Girls are bigger than others
5. Smiths, The- Ask
6. R.E.M. - Fall On Me
7. Pretenders - Don't Get Me Wrong
8. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
9. David Bowie - Absolute Beginners
10. Depeche Mode - A Question of Time

Unknown said...

1.Erasure- Oh l’Amour
2.Erasure- Sometimes
3.A-ha- I’ve Been Losing You
4.Bangles- Walk Like An Egyptian
5.Level 42- Lessons in Love
6.Madonna- Live to Tell
7.New Order- Bizzare Love Triangle
8.Peter Gabriel- Sledgehammer
9.Communards, The- Don’t Leave me This Way
10.Queen- Who Wants to Live Forever

Unknown said...

Props to Milena and Jason for spelling "Bizarre" correctly.

Lu Cifer, @Lu666Cifer said...

I am Lu666Cifer and I approve this message!

1. Sharpe & Numan- New Thing From London Town
2. Queen- Who Wants to Live Forever
3. Killing Joke- Adorations
4. Bolshoi - A Way
5. Iggy Pop- Real Wild Child (Wild One)
6. Marc Almond- Ruby Red
7. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- The Singer
8. Siouxsie and The Banshees- Candyman
9. Die Form- Slow Love
10. Nitzer Ebb- Murderous

Bori B. said...

Dear Andrew
Thanks, for pointing this out.
It's my bad!
Best!

Anonymous said...

1.The Smiths- There is a Light That Never Goes Out
2.New Order- Bizarre Love Triangle
3.Depeche Mode- Stripped
4.The Smiths- Ask
5.Desireless- Voyage Voyage
6.Steven Brown- Last Rendezvous
7.Nitzer Ebb- Murderous
8.The Smiths- Big Mouth Strikes Again
9.Level 42- Lessons of Love
10.The Stranglers- Always the Sun

Detlef

cagliostro said...



hard choice
1 Smiths, The- There is a Light That Never Goes Out
2 Dream Academy, The- The Love Parade
3 Arcadia- The Promise
4 Mylène Farmer- Libertine
5 Mecano – hijo de la luna
6 Depeche Mode- A Question of Time
7 David Sylvian- Taking the Veil
8 China Crisis- Arizona Sky
9 Prefab Sprout-Johnny Johnny
10 Les Rita Mitsouko- C'est comme ça


let me introduce you to the spanish band MECANO ( very big in their country) and which had big succes in 1987 in France with two big hits sang in French version one of it being the song ranking here at 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpWXyRq-SIw

cagliostro said...

I was surprised to find the song : Brigitte Bardot & Serge Gainsbourg- Je t'aime moi non plus in a 1986 poll cause it dates from 1967, but i've seen that it was reissued in 1986 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Je_t%27aime..._moi_non_plus

curiously there was a cover by Pet shop boys and sam taylor but lacking the spice and charm of the original https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S1qq3hu7l8

Bori B. said...

Hi Caglistro thanks for the great list!
I know Mecano and "Hijo De la Luna" is one of my all time favorite tunes, but according to my records, it was released in 1987.
Added some of their tunes from 1986.

Cagliostro said...

well so i leave it for 1987 consider "cruz de navajas" as 5th in the list instead it's such a beautiful song ( with so sad lyrics)

fancyfootwork80 said...

1. Big Audio Dynamite - E=mc2
2. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Candyman
3. The Stranglers - Always The Sun
4. Black - Wonderful Life
5. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Warriors (of the Wasteland)
6. Alphaville - Dance With Me
7. The Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way
8. The Dream Academy - Love Parade
9. a-ha - Hunting High and Low
10. Pet Shop Boys - Suburbia

More smash hits from 1986 deserve to be mentioned too. In that case my personal list would've look a little different (with Europe on #1 and Modern Talking and Madonna instead of a-ha and The Dream Academy probably):

- Berlin - Like Flames
- Bon Jovi - Livin' On a Prayer
- Device - Hanging On a Heart Attack
- Europe - Final Countdown
- Madonna - Open Your Heart
- Modern Talking - Brother Louie
- XMal Deutschland - Matador

Cheers B! :)

Anonymous said...

1. berlin – take my breath away
2. black - wonderful life
3. cindy lauper – true colors
4. level 42 – lessons in love
5. desireless – voyage, voyage
___________________________
6. jean michel jarre – rednez vous
7. kim wilde – keep me hangin on
8. pet shop boys – paninero
9. samantha fox – touch me
10. new order – bizarre love triangle
11. depeche mode - a question of time
12. depeche mode – stripped
13. it’s immaterial – driving away from home
14. the smiths - ask
15. jan hammer – crocket’s theme
16. the smiths – bigmouth strikes again
17. the communards – disenchanted
18. erasure – oh l’amour
19. frenky goes to Hollywood – warriors of the wasteland
20. animation – i engineer
21. book of love- you make me feel so good
22. the communards- so cold the night
23. david bowie – absolute beginners
24. new order – stste of the nation
25. pet shop boys – suburbia

La&Vi

Thomas said...

I find it very hard to decide on a top ten list for this year, looking back i guess the smiths must win this with bigmouth strikes again, panic or there is a light that never goes out.

01 the smiths bigmouth/there is a light/ panic
02 iggy pop real wild child
03 it's immaterial driving away from home
04 the the infected
05 marc almond ruby red
06 housemartins happy hour
07 animotion i engineer
08 georgie red help the man
09 omd if you leave
10 communards don't leave me this way
11 les rita mitsouko c'est comme ca
12jennifer warnes first we take manhattan

back then i really liked
desireless voyage, voyage
peter gabriel sledgehammer
talking heads wild, wild life
bananarama venus
bangles walk like an egytian
black wonderful life
debbie harry french kissin
pretenders don't get me wrong
as well as swing out sister, ebtg, style council, kate bush

Thomas, Vienna

Anonymous said...

1. Pet Shop Boys- Suburbia
2. Stranglers, The- Always The Sun
3. Alison Moyet- Is This Love?
4. Pretenders- Don't Get Me Wrong
5. Desireless- Voyage Voyage
6. Depeche Mode- A Question of Time
7. Smiths, The- There is a Light That Never Goes Out
8. David Bowie- Absolute Beginners
9. Communards, The- Don’t Leave me This Way
10. Brigitte Bardot & Serge Gainsbourg- Je t'aime moi non plus

Redspring said...

1. Smiths, The- There is a Light That Never Goes Out
2. Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush- Don’t Give Up
3. Depeche Mode - A Question of Lust
4. Smiths, The- Ask
5. David Bowie- Absolute Beginners
6. Kate Bush- Hounds of Love
7. Brigitte Bardot & Serge Gainsbourg- Je t'aime moi non plus
8. Berlin- Take My Breath Away
9. Queen- Who Wants to Live Forever
10.The Style Council - Have You Ever Had It So Blue
11.Pet Shop Boys- Suburbia
12.George Michael - A Different Corner
13.Bangles- Walk Like An Egyptian
14.Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Singer

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